Category: Sacramento, California Local News

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California state legislator has filed a lawsuit against federal immigration officials, alleging a lack of transparency surrounding arrests of immigrants during court appearances both statewide and nationwide.

Assemblymember Maggy Krell, a Sacramento Democrat and former prosecutor, announced the legal action outside the John E. Moss Federal Building in Sacramento, where immigration hearings are held daily. Krell said she is suing the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which operates under the U.S. Department of Justice, after what she described as inadequate responses to her Freedom of Information Act requests.

“This isn’t a criminal courthouse. Immigration is civil,” Krell said. “What is the federal government hiding?”

Krell said the lawsuit stems from concerns about arrests carried out at immigration courts, which she said have increased under the current administration. She questioned the necessity of detaining individuals who appear for routine scheduled hearings as part of due process.

“Why is it necessary to tackle people in front of their children and spouses and arrest them and deport them and detain them?” Krell said. “Why is that necessary when they’re just here to check in for their day in court?”

In June, Krell said she sought information about why members of the public — including family members, attorneys and journalists — were barred from entering the Sacramento immigration court during hearings. She said the documents she received were heavily redacted and insufficient.

In August, she submitted additional requests seeking federal immigration enforcement guidelines and security footage from the courthouse, amid news of courthouse immigration enforcement — as well as the firing of numerous immigration judges — continued. She said she has not received those records for months, which is why she’s pursuing a legal challenge.

According to Krell, more than 30 arrests have occurred at the Sacramento immigration courthouse in since last summer.

Advocates say courthouse enforcement actions have created fear among immigrants with pending cases.

The lawsuit alleges officials often target immigration courthouses, as noncitizens are easy to locate.

“I was at the court this morning. Folks are scared. They don’t want to come,” said Kamalpreet Chohan of the California Immigration Project.

Chohan explained that when people don’t make that mandatory appearance, they can be removed “in absentia,” meaning in their absence.

The debate comes amid broader changes in federal immigration enforcement policy. In January, the administration reversed a Biden-era policy that had more strictly limited immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses.

“They’re attending their hearings and their check-ins and seeking due process in the way which it is available to them,” said Jessie Mabry, chief executive officer of Opening Doors Inc., a nonprofit serving immigrants and refugees.

Advocates also noted these individuals often don’t have attorneys to assist them, despite navigating what they call one of the most complex legal systems in the country.

According to the National Association of Immigration Judges, 103 immigration judges have been fired since President Donald Trump took office, including 28 in California.

In December, a federal judge temporarily barred arrests and detentions at immigration courts in Northern California, specifically the ICE San Francisco Area of Responsibility, which includes the Bay Area and from the Central Valley up to the Oregon border.

That is a ruling the Trump Administration is anticipated to appeal.

We reached out to the White House for comment. They referred us to the departments of Justice and Homeland Security.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review declined to comment on litigation-related matters.

We did not hear back from DHS.

WATCH MORE ON ABC10 | California leaders call for protections as immigration fears hit local economy

ELK GROVE, Calif. — Elk Grove is moving forward with plans to develop a permanent homeless shelter, directing staff to start negotiations to buy at the city’s top ranked location. 

At its meeting Wednesday, the Elk Grove City Council approved a single site for the shelter — Survey Road at East Stockton Boulevard — and authorized staff to start purchase negotiations for the property.

City leaders considering a site on Dwight Road and another on East Stockton Boulevard before selecting the top ranked option at Survey and East Stockton.

City officials said the plan builds on the success of Elk Grove’s temporary shelter and reflects what they described as a continued commitment to a “compassionate, effective approach” to addressing homelessness. 

There is currently a year-round shelter for homeless people in Elk Grove that could operate through 2028 while the city works on the permanent site. That site currently provides services for up to 35 people.

Council vote moves Elk Grove homeless shelter planning forward

PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — Early Wednesday morning, around 3 a.m., Placer County deputies responded to a reported break-in at Max’s Deli and Third Eye Tattoo in North Auburn. 

When officers arrived, the suspects had already fled. Investigators quickly identified a white BMW SUV connected to the burglary. 

Authorities determined that the same vehicle was linked to additional burglaries in Rocklin and Grass Valley earlier that morning.

Placer County Sheriff’s Office and Rocklin Police property detectives tracked the vehicle to Sacramento. 

With assistance from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, deputies stopped the SUV near 47th Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Two people were inside and taken into custody.

A female adult was arrested by Sacramento deputies on charges in their jurisdiction. Placer County deputies arrested Elijah Felix, 25, of Sacramento, on multiple charges, including burglary, possession of stolen property, conspiracy, a Yuba County burglary warrant, and violation of Post-Release Community Supervision (PRCS) for commercial burglary.

Authorities say the other suspects are still at large, and the investigation is ongoing.

“Small business owners are an important part of our community, and targeting them is unacceptable,” the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said. “Our detectives will use every available resource and investigative technology to identify those responsible and hold them accountable.”

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Natomas teachers are preparing to strike if a new contract is not reached with the district, after the Natomas Teachers Association said 98% of its members approved a strike authorization.

Union leaders say they are pushing for smaller class sizes, better student services, and more competitive pay to keep teachers from leaving the district. The superintendent says those demands do not match the district’s financial reality and could lead to cuts that affect students.

For Natomas Unified teachers, the push comes after rallies and growing frustration during negotiations.

Nico Vaccaro, president of the Natomas Teachers Association, said negotiations over the past year have led to a breaking point.

“We are serious about having our demands met,” said Vaccaro. “This is a culmination of years of people quite frankly being fed up with their working conditions and having to struggle to make ends meet.”

Vaccaro said aside from seeking smaller class sizes and better working conditions, the union is seeking fully paid health benefits and higher pay. State Department of Education 2024-25 data shows the average Natomas teacher salary is near $90,931, below the state average of $103,552 and below Sacramento City Unified at $109,230.

“They have healthy finances. They have a current retention crisis right now,” said Vaccaro. “We are not asking them to drain their reserves. There’s a way for them to reprioritized their money and they should be able to figure it out.”

District leaders see the situation differently. Natomas Unified Superintendent Dr. Robyn Castillo said during a board meeting that while the district values teachers, the union’s proposals could force cuts to student programs.

“These demands mean real cuts to athletics, college and career services and our international baccalaureate program and other support services,” said Dr. Castillo.

Castillo also defended the district’s reserves, saying they are required and necessary to keep schools operating.

“The district is required to maintain a nine percent reserve; to put this in perspective, our district’s reserve would be fully spent in about a full month and a half just to meet our payroll,” said Castillo. “We remain committed to working towards fair and sustainable agreement, but that requires proposals grounded in local realities and a genuine effort to reach a resolution.”

The next step is scheduled for next Friday, when both sides enter fact-finding, a required process after negotiations have stalled. Arguments will be heard and a report will be released. If there is still no agreement, the union can strike.

During the Board meeting, the district also said enrollment for next school year is projected to stay flat and it is not expecting to lay off any teachers.

WATCH MORE ON ABC10 | Teachers, parents speak out as Natomas strike vote passes

EL PASO, Texas — The Pentagon allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to use an anti-drone laser earlier this week, leading the Federal Aviation Administration to suddenly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details.

The confusing arc of events began as the FAA announced it was shutting down all flight traffic over the city on the U.S.-Mexico border for 10 days, stranding some travelers, but the closure ended up only lasting a few hours. The Trump administration said it stemmed from the FAA and Pentagon working to halt an incursion by Mexican cartel drones, which are not uncommon along the southern border.

One of the people said the laser was deployed near Fort Bliss without coordinating with the FAA, which decided then to close the airspace to ensure commercial air safety. Others familiar with the matter said the technology was used despite a meeting scheduled for later this month between the Pentagon and the FAA to discuss the issue.

While the restrictions were short-lived in the city of nearly 700,000 people, it is unusual for an entire airport to shut down even for a short time. Stranded travelers with luggage lined up at airline ticket counters and car rental desks before the order was lifted.

Normal flights resumed after seven arrivals and seven departures were canceled. Some medical evacuation flights also had to be rerouted.

Jorge Rueda, 20, and Yamilexi Meza, 21, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, had their morning flight to Portland, Oregon, canceled, so they were losing part of their Valentine’s Day weekend trip.

Rueda said he was glad that “10 days turned into two hours.” They were booked on an evening flight out of El Paso.

The investigation into last year’s midair collision near Washington, D.C., between an airliner and Army helicopter that killed 67 people highlighted how the FAA and Pentagon were not always working well together.

The National Transportation Safety Board said the FAA and the Army did not share safety data with each other about the alarming number of close calls around Reagan National Airport and failed to address the risks.

Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a former Army helicopter pilot who serves on committees focused on aviation and the armed services, said the issue Wednesday was the latest example of “the lack of coordination that’s endemic in this Trump administration.”

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he would request a briefing from the FAA on the incident.

Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat whose district includes El Paso, said neither her office nor local officials received any advance notice of the closure. After it was lifted, she said “the information coming from the federal government does not add up.”

“I believe the FAA owes the community and the country an explanation as to why this happened so suddenly and abruptly and was lifted so suddenly and abruptly,” Escobar said at a news conference.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said earlier that the airspace was closed as the Defense Department and the FAA halted an incursion by Mexican cartel drones and “the threat has been neutralized.”

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security, FAA and Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Trump administration official insisted the agencies were in lockstep to protect national security and pointed to Duffy’s statement. The Pentagon said it had nothing to add to its statement that largely mirrored Duffy’

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, whose congressional district covers an area that stretches about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) along Texas’ border with Mexico, said cartel drone sightings are common.

“For any of us who live and work along the border, daily drone incursions by criminal organizations is everyday life for us. It’s a Wednesday for us,” Gonzales said.

Steven Willoughby, deputy director of the counter-drone program at the Department of Homeland Security, told Congress in July that cartels are using drones nearly every day to transport drugs across the border and surveil Border Patrol agents. More than 27,000 drones were detected within 500 meters (1,600 feet) of the southern border in the last six months of 2024, he said, mostly at night.

What is “extremely rare” is the closure of an entire airport over a security issue, according to a former chief security officer at United Airlines.

Officials usually will try to take security measures to isolate the risk if a specific plane or airline is threatened rather than shut down the airport, said Rich Davis, now a senior security adviser at risk mitigation company International SOS.

Asked about the drone explanation provided by U.S. officials, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had “no information about the use of drones on the border.” She noted that if U.S. authorities have more information, they should contact Mexico’s government.

Mexican defense and navy secretaries planned to talk with officials from U.S. Northern Command in a meeting Wednesday in Washington attended by several other countries, Sheinbaum told reporters. Sheinbaum said the Mexican officials would “listen” in the meeting and her government would look into “the exact causes” of the closure.

El Paso is a hub of cross-border commerce alongside Ciudad Juárez. That Mexican city is home to about 1.5 million people, and some of its residents are accustomed to taking advantage of facilities, including airports, on the U.S. side of the border.

That easy access to the United States also has made Juarez, like other border cities, attractive to Mexico’s drug cartels seeking to safeguard their smuggling routes for drugs and migrants headed north and cash and guns moving to the south.

El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson told reporters that he did not hear about the closure until after the alert was issued.

“Decisions made without notice and coordination puts lives at risk and creates unnecessary danger and confusion,” Johnson said. “This was a major and unnecessary disruption, one that has not occurred since 9/11.”

The airport describes itself as the gateway to west Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Mexico. Southwest, United, American and Delta are among the carriers that operate flights there.

A similar 10-day temporary flight restriction for special security reasons remained in place Wednesday around Santa Teresa, New Mexico, which is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of the El Paso airport. FAA officials did not immediately explain why that restriction remained.

Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, a New Mexico Democrat, said in a statement that he was seeking answers from the FAA and the Trump administration “about why the airspace was closed in the first place without notifying appropriate officials, leaving travelers to deal with unnecessary chaos.”

Travel plans on both sides of the border were disrupted.

María Aracelia was pushing two roller suitcases across the pedestrian bridge from Ciudad Juarez to El Paso on Wednesday morning. She had a round-trip flight to Illinois scheduled for the afternoon.

After receiving a text at 4 a.m. telling her about the 10-day closure, she scrambled to try to find other options, even how to get to another airport. Then came a notification that the El Paso airport had reopened.

“This is stressful, and there isn’t time to make so many changes, especially if you need to get back for work,” Aracelia said.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Bars, stores, and restaurants could be required to refuse alcohol sales to people convicted of a serious or repeat DUI offenses under a new California bill.

Assemblymember Rhodesia Ranson introduced AB 1605, which, if passed, would allow judges to place a “no alcohol sale” notice directly on the licenses or REAL IDs of people found guilty of serious or repeat DUI offenses. Anyone with the designation would be barred from purchasing alcohol, according to the assemblymember’s office.

“Repeated DUIs signal a dangerous pattern that puts lives at risk. When warning signs are this clear, intervention is necessary to protect the public. Judges must have the ability to limit access to alcohol and prevent the next tragedy,” Ransom said in a statement.

Ransom’s office noted that this proposal is similar to a measure enacted in Utah that gives judges discretion to place a no-alcohol warning on a case-by-case basis.

According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, there were just over 110,000 DUI arrests made in 2021. And 41.7% of fatal crashes in the state were DUI-involved.

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